Couple killed as pickup crashes, burns in Surat Thani

A couple returning from celebrating Valentine’s Day eve with friends were killed when their pickup truck crashed into a roadside power pole in Surat Thani early on Wednesday, police said.

Police said the accident happened on the Muang Surat Thani bypass road in front of Tesco Lotus Surat Thani at 2.30am.

Firefighters took about 30 minutes to put out the fire, after which the found the charred bodies of Sutthipong Inwan and Nutchanart Suwansri.

Police said the pickup was apparently speeding and the driver lost control at the curve, as the road was slippery due to rain. The impact of the crash caused the pickup's roof to be hurled many metres away from the vehicle.

Friends told police that the two were salespeople for chemicals and medicine for prawn farms. They had come to Surat Thani from Songkhla to introduce their products at a fair, and had gone to drink with friends at a Surat Thani pub to celebrate Valentine's Day eve.